Tracking Arrow

ABSTRACT

A tracking arrow. The tracking arrow includes a shaft, a tracker bracket, and an arrowhead. A nock is disposed on a second end of the shaft. A second end of the tracker bracket is removably secured to a first end of the shaft. A second end of the arrowhead is removably secured to the first end of the tracker bracket. A tracker unit is removably secured to the tracker bracket via a fastener such as an elastic band. The tracker unit includes a housing having a power supply, a GPS unit, and a transmitter therein, and further includes one or more barbs extending from the housing. When the tracking arrow penetrates a target, the tracker is configured to detach from the tracker bracket and embed itself in the target. The tracker is further configured to transmit its geographic location via the transmitter, allowing a hunter to locate the wounded animal.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/426,051 filed on Nov. 23, 2016. The above identified patentapplication is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety toprovide continuity of disclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to animal tracking. More particularly, thepresent invention provides a tracking arrow having a tracker thatdetaches from the arrow and embeds itself in a target when the target isstruck by the arrow, wherein the tracker wirelessly transmits itsgeographic position as determined by a GPS unit, allowing the locationof the target to be monitored.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many individuals enjoy hunting for recreational or survival purposes.One of the oldest and most popular weapons used for hunting is the bowand arrow. A bow and arrow can be used to silently and effectivelyneutralize even larger game animals, such as deer. However, using a bowand arrow has some drawbacks. While smaller game animals are killedinstantly upon being struck with an arrow, larger game animals such asdeer are often only wounded. Sometimes when the arrow wounds a targetanimal, the animal can travel a long distance before it succumbs to itswound. It can be difficult and time consuming to track and locate thewounded animal. If the animal cannot be located, it results indisappointment to the hunter, as well as a waste of natural resources.In view of the above, it is desirable to provide a tracking arrow thatcan be utilized to determine the location of a target animal after theanimal is struck with the tracking arrow.

Devices have been disclosed in the known art that relate to trackingarrows. These include devices that have been patented and published inpatent application publications. These devices generally relate toattachments for regular arrows or arrows having embedded GPS systems.However, the devices in the known art have several drawbacks. Thesedevices typically include a GPS unit permanently embedded within thearrow, requiring the entire arrow to remain in the wounded animal inorder to effectively track the animal, which is unreliable since thearrow itself often falls to the ground while the animal runs away. Otherdevices utilize pins that hold a GPS tracker in place that breaks offwhen the arrow impacts an animal, so the arrow cannot be reused, whichcontradicts one of the main reasons to use a bow and arrow to hunt.

In light of the devices disclosed in the known art, it is submitted thatthe present invention substantially diverges in design elements from theknown art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the artfor an improvement to existing animal tracking arrows. In this regard,the present invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types oftracking arrows now present in the prior art, the present inventionprovides a tracking arrow wherein the same can be utilized for providingconvenience for the user when determining the location of a woundedtarget animal. The tracking arrow includes a shaft, a tracker bracket,and an arrowhead. A nock is disposed on a second end of the shaft. Asecond end of the tracker bracket is removably secured to a first end ofthe shaft. A second end of the arrowhead is removably secured to thefirst end of the tracker bracket. A tracker unit is removably secured tothe tracker bracket via a fastener such as an elastic band. The trackerunit includes a housing having a power supply, a GPS unit, and atransmitter therein, and further includes one or more barbs extendingfrom the housing. When the tracking arrow penetrates a target, thetracker is configured to detach from the tracker bracket and embeditself in the target. The tracker is further configured to transmit itsgeographic location via the transmitter, allowing a hunter to locate thewounded animal.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeralannotations are provided throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will beparticularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and mannerin which it may be made and used may be better understood after a reviewof the following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of the tracking arrow.

FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the tracker and the tracker bracketcomponents of the tracking arrow.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the components of the tracker of the trackingarrow.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the tracking arrow and a targetanimal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like referencenumerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similarelements of the tracking arrow. For the purposes of presenting a briefand clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodimentwill be discussed as used for determining the location of a woundedtarget animal. The figures are intended for representative purposes onlyand should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded view of the trackingarrow. The tracking arrow 10 comprises a shaft 11, a tracking bracket12, and an arrowhead 13. The tracking arrow 10 includes a nock 16disposed on a second end 15 of the shaft 11 and fletching 23 disposedbetween the second end 15 of the shaft 11 and a first end 14 thereof, aswell as a pointed tip 19 disposed on a first end 24 of the arrowhead 13.In this way, the tracking arrow 10 can be utilized the same way as atypical arrow and may be effectively launched from any conventional bow.

A second end 18 of the tracker bracket 12 is connected to the first end14 of the shaft 11, and a second end 25 of the arrowhead 13 is connectedto a first end 17 of the tracker bracket. In the illustrated embodiment,the shaft 11 and the arrowhead 13 are each removably securable to thetracker bracket 12. More particularly, the second end 19 of thearrowhead 13 is configured to be removably secured to the first end 17of the tracker bracket 12 via a threaded connection, and the second end18 of the tracker bracket 12 is configured to be removably secured tothe first end 14 of the shaft 11 via a threaded connection. In this way,the tracking arrow 10 can be disassembled or assembled as needed, andcomponents can be switched out if they wear overtime or become damaged,allowing the tracking arrow 10 to continue functioning.

A tracker 20 is removably coupled to the tracker bracket 12 via afastener 21. The tracker 20 includes a power supply, a GPS unit, and atransmitter, and is configure to wirelessly transmit its geographiclocation as determined by the GPS unit to an external device. In theillustrated embodiment, the fastener 21 is an elastic band. The elasticband can be placed annularly around the tracker bracket 12, such thattension from the elastic band secures the tracker bracket 12 to thefastener 21. In other embodiments, alternate fasteners 21 may beutilized, such as a magnetic fastener or a quick-release clip. Thetracker 20 further includes one or more barbs 22 thereon. The fastener21 is configured to detach when the tracking arrow 10 strikes a targetanimal, and the one or more barbs 22 embed themselves in the flesh ofthe animal, securing the tracker 20 thereto, allowing the location ofthe wounded animal to be determined.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an exploded view of the trackerand the tracker bracket components of the tracking arrow. The trackerbracket 12 is configured to receive the tracker 20 in order to securethe tracker 20 to the tracking arrow during the flight of the arrow. Thetracker 20 includes one or more barbs 22 thereon that embed in an animalstruck by the tracking arrow 20, which causes the tracker 20 to detachfrom the tracker bracket 12 and stick to the animal. In the shownembodiment, the tracker 20 includes a pair of barbs 22 disposed adjacentto one another. Each barb 22 curves upward and forward such that adistal end of each barb is oriented toward the arrowhead, enabling thepointed distal end of the barb 22 to contact the animal when the arrowstrikes.

The tracker bracket 12 includes a recession 39 sized to receive thetracker 20 therein. When the tracker 20 is positioned within therecession 39, an outer wall 33 of the tracker housing 31 is flush withan outer wall 34 of the tracker bracket 12. In this way, the trackingarrow maintains an aerodynamic shape such that the tracker 20 does notinterfere with the flight path of the tracking arrow.

In the shown embodiment, the tracker 20 includes a housing 31 comprisinga vertically oriented front face 37 and a sloped rear face 36. Therecession 39 includes a sloped rear edge 32 toward the rear end 35thereof and a vertically oriented forward surface 38. When the tracker20 is positioned within the recession 32, the sloped rear face 36 fitsflush within the rear end 35 of the recession 39, and the verticallyoriented front face 37 makes continuous contact with the verticallyoriented forward surface 38 of the recession 39. When the tracking arrowstrikes a target, momentum is transferred along the tracking arrow fromthe arrowhead to the vertically oriented forward surface 38 of therecession 39, and then to the vertically oriented front face 37 of thetracker 20. The downward slope of the sloped rear face 36 of the tracker20 and the sloped rear edges 32 of the rear end 35 of the recession 39enables the tracker 20 to slide out of the tracker bracket 12 when thetracking arrow impacts the target animal and momentum is transferred tothe tracker 20, while the pair of barbs 22 cause the tracker 20 to embeditself in the target animal.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a diagram of the components ofthe tracker of the tracking arrow. The tracker 20 comprises a powersupply 41 operably connected to each of a GPS unit 42 and a transmitter43. The power supply 41 may be a battery, rechargeable battery, or othersuitable power source for powering the GPS unit 42 and the transmitter43. The GPS unit is configured to determine the geographic position ofthe tracker 20 via communication with GPS satellites. The transmitter 43is configured to transmit the geographic position of the tracker 20wirelessly. The transmitter 43 may use any known means of wirelesscommunication such as radio waves, and may or may not utilize a networksuch as a cellular network to transfer the location of the tracker 20.The transmitted geographic position of the tracker 20 can be received byany electronic device capable of receiving wireless transmissions suchas a cell phone, laptop, or the like. In one embodiment, the tracker 20is configured to continuously transmit its location. In an alternateembodiment, the tracker 20 is configured to being transmitting itslocation when the arrow strikes its target. In this embodiment, thetracker 20 includes a sensor configured to detect impact, such as anaccelerometer, which in turn causes the transmitter 43 to transmit thelocation of the tracker 20 if a threshold deceleration is detected,which would occur when the arrow strikes the target.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a perspective view of thetracking arrow and a target animal. When the tracking arrow 10 strikes atarget such as a deer 51, The tracker 20 is configured to separate fromthe tracker bracket 12. Even if the tracking arrow 10 passes through thedeer, or falls from the entry wound 52, the tracker 20 remains attachedto the deer 51 because the barbs 22 embed themselves in the deer 51 uponimpact of the tracking arrow 10. In one embodiment, the tracker 20includes a phosphorescent material such that the tracker 20 glows in thedark, allowing the hunter to visually detect the tracker 20 in low-lightconditions. The tracker 20 transmits its location as determined by theGPS unit via the transmitter, so the hunter can locate the deer 51. Inthis way, the hunter is able to determine the location of the deer 51even if the tracking arrow 10 does not stay attached to the deer 51.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown anddescribed in what is considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be madewithin the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the abovedescription then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensionalrelationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations insize, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assemblyand use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in theart, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in thedrawings and described in the specification are intended to beencompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of theprinciples of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications andchanges will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is notdesired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operationshown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications andequivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of theinvention.

I claim: 1) A tracking arrow, comprising: a shaft having a first end anda second end; a tracker bracket having a first end and a second end,wherein the second end of the tracker bracket is connected to the firstend of the shaft; an arrowhead having a first end and a second end,wherein the second end of the arrowhead is connected to the first end ofthe tracker bracket, the first end of the arrowhead comprising a pointthereon; a tracker comprising a housing having a power supply, a GPSunit, and a transmitter therein, and further comprising one or morebarbs extending from the housing; wherein the tracker is configured tobe removably secured to the tracker bracket via a fastener. 2) Thetracking arrow of claim 1, further comprising a nock disposed on thesecond end of the shaft. 3) The tracking arrow of claim 1, furthercomprising fletching disposed on the shaft between the first end and thesecond end thereof. 4) The tracking arrow of claim 1, wherein the secondend of the arrowhead is configured to be removably secured to the firstend of the tracker bracket via a threaded connection. 5) The trackingarrow of claim 1, wherein the second end of the tracker bracket isconfigured to be removably secured to the first end of the shaft via athreaded connection. 6) The tracking arrow of claim 1, wherein thetracker bracket comprises a recession configured to receive the trackertherein, wherein an outer surface of the housing of the tracker isconfigured to be flush with an outer surface of the tracker bracket whenthe tracker is positioned within the recession of the tracker bracket.7) The tracking arrow of claim 6, wherein the tracker housing comprisesa sloped rear face and a vertical front face, wherein the recessioncomprises a sloped rear portion and a vertical front wall, wherein thesloped rear face is configured to make continuous contact with thesloped rear portion and the vertical front face is configured to makecontinuous contact with the vertical front wall when the tracker housingis received by the recession. 8) The tracking arrow of claim 1, whereinthe fastener is an elastic band. 9) The tracking arrow of claim 1,wherein the one or more barbs comprises a pair of barbs, wherein eachbarb of the pair of barbs curves such that a distal end of each barb isoriented toward the arrowhead. 10) The tracking arrow of claim 1,wherein the tracker is configured to be unfastened and embed itself inan animal when the tracking arrow penetrates the animal. 11) Thetracking arrow of claim 1, wherein the tracker is configured todetermine a geographic position via the GPS unit and wirelessly transmitthe geographic position via the transmitter.